As the cases multiply, a mockery is made of multilateral efforts to fend off protection.
They are sceptical of multilateral institutions that limit American power and effectiveness; they prefer to focus on new threats and opportunities, rather than old alliances.Again, these views are not unique to neo-cons.
And there is the future of multilateral state-building and, it could be argued, of NATO itself.Ultimately, however, no western power can end the insurgency raging in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where over 1,000 people have been killed this year, including 77 Americans.
As a veteran of the anti-communist struggle he can speak authoritatively on the European aspirations of countries like Ukraine.Yet for all that, Mr Tusk's tools will be the multilateral ones of a committed European.
But this is the nature of multilateral climate talks, where politics, words and interpretation can be the difference between success and failure.
Multilateralism has a long history, but it is principally associated with the era after World War II, during which there was a burgeoning of multilateral agreements led primarily by the United States.
Economic nationalism is strong; the bashing of multilateral lenders is a hobby of the chattering classes.
The political motivation to do anything difficult, whether it be regulation or the overhaul of multilateral institutions, is dwindling as the financial crisis appears to be fading in intensity.
The goal of such cooperation would be a multilateral body analogous to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
For decades, Japan has been a pillar of multilateral institutions devoted to easing trade barriers.
